Duffy Lewis

This is about Duffy Lewis, Not Monica Lewinsky.
If you are looking for Monica, click Here.

Duffy Lewis was always one of my favorites.

Boston Red Sox (1910–17) New York Yankees (1919-20) Washington Senators (1921)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion: 1912, 1915, 1916

"In 11 seasons, Lewis batted .284 with 38 home runs, 793 RBI, 612 runs, 1518 hits, 289 doubles, 68 triples, and 113 stolen bases in 1459 games.

During his tenure in Boston patrolling left field, Fenway Park featured a ten-foot-high mound that formed an incline in front of the left field wall, now better known as the Green Monster. The young outfielder mastered the incline to such an extent that it was nicknamed "Duffy's Cliff". Sports cartoons of the period often depicted him as a mountain climber making catches amid sheep and snowcaps. The mound was eventually reduced in 1934, long after Lewis had left the Sox, and was not completely eliminated until the field underwent a major renovation following the 2004 season." - Wikipedia

John Stamos

Every once in awhile, you take a swing and drive the ball right out of the park.
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Everything that we intended to accomplish in the business meeting came out better than expected.
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It's like the turning point in "Step Brothers" when Will Farrell asks John Riley....
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"Did we just become Best Friends?"
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"Yep."

Sweating the Small Stuff

The appeal of running a small business at Nanepashemet Telecom was getting my hands dirty. At General Dynamics, I was very far away from the action at all times. And you don't get too much dirt under your fingernails giving Powerpoint Presentations.
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That's not to say that I don't do the executive sort of things at Nanepashemet. Especially when we have to pitch new business.
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But usually, we don't have to be executives and get sweaty at construction sites on the same day.
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Tomorrow will be different. We'll be finishing up a site in the morning, then pitching an account by lunchtime. Not sure how I will deal with the sweat issue.

Philosohical Phallout

I didn't mean to get so philosophical in that last post.
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It just kind of slipped out.
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I mean, I'm not a freaking guru or something.
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I'm not forming a cult or anything.
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So don't be pledging me your life long loyalty and asking me to father your children.
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It was all a big misunderstanding.

Life, Liberty...

As Americans, our government was formed to provide us with the opportunity for "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness".
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These are rights that say that the rank and file of us can live to freely try to find happiness.
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When you reflect on the seemingly tormented life of Michael Jackson, it becomes obvious that talent and wealth do not guarantee happiness. So many celebrities seem to live a life of pain amid their possessions. Even when you can totally control your environment, as Jackson did, happiness and contentment are elusive.
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The answer seems obvious.
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Pursuing happiness is not the pursuit of things, or talent, or relationships.
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The Pursuit of Happiness is a search to find a way to see the good in all things.... to see the glass as half full.... to be comfortable in your own skin.
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The Pursuit of Happiness is an inner journey to let your soul resonate in harmony with any surrounding that you choose to associate. James Taylor sang, "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time." Happiness is that natural state of the universe.... with electrons harmoniously rotating around protons and neutrons whether you are Michael Jackson or a piece of granite.
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Happiness is a choice. You can choose to see the harmony in each passing moment, or you can resist and long for a different moment or environment causing anxiety and discord.
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If you can't see the the harmony in your current situation, then pretend that you can.... because it is there. You just are not tuned into it. I know of no person, myself included, that doesn't have some massive adversity that imperils their well being and state of mind. But each adversity carries its open or hidden benefit, despite the apparent absurdness of this assertion.
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Don't judge the rightness or wrongness of the situation. We are eternal beings and each experience has its lessons and insights for us that benefit and enrich us for the long haul. In the context of eternity, all adversity is just a detail.
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Nobody can give you happiness. It is your personal choice. The Pursuit of Happiness is to constantly remember to choose happiness in each moment of time.
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You can choose to embrace this, or to ridicule and degrade it.
Again... it is all up to you. But open your eyes and test it before you fade back to black.
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Choose happiness. Bitterness, hate and despair suck compared to it.

Photogenic

There was a stiff east wind heading into Marblehead Harbor during my row this afternoon in the Tender. Tough going against it, but when when you turned around and rowed with it, it was possible to go six knots with ease.
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I noticed two people at different times taking a photo of me in the Tender.
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Since people don't ordinarily take random photos of me, especially when I am currently solvent and haven't any pissed off creditors, I have to believe that the attraction is the Tender and not me.
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But then again, you never know.... being the rough, tough, hard to bluff, damn good looking mountain of a man that I am.

Lucky Striper

Ryan and Alex are out at Stellwagen right now and sent this picture of the 42" Striped Bass that they boated.

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Federal Law prohibits taking Stripers from the Stellwagen Sanctuary, or we would be chunking this bad boy up for the deep fryer this afternoon.

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So this fish gets a reprieve.

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Ryan said that the football Bluefin Tuna are breaking water, but so far no strikes, and that conditions are mostly foggy.

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But he has that co0l new Nanepashemet sweatershirt on.

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I'll be taking the Tender out for a rowing workout around 11:30AM when the tide is half high rising.

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Joanne says that there are thunderstorms forecasted, but I have to get a good row in. Not worried about getting wet, and if I get struck by lightning, then this pathetic Blog would come to an abrupt end. So all in all, it seems like a win-win.

Boss Man

This morning I had to struggle to get out of bed and had all intentions of calling it in.
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It was Friday, I already had completed a ton of stuff for a very successful workweek so I was thinking of taking the day off. I'm the boss of Nanepashemet Telecom... right??? I can do whatever I freaking want.... Right????
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So I was ready to report on the morning conference call, then kick back and start the weekend..... and then the waves starting hitting the beach.
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Wave after Wave.
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Things didn't stop until I finally pulled the Ford F150 back up to the house at 5:10 PM.
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So much for being the Boss.

Tuna Lips said...
You needs a broader spectrum of workin' stiffs to horse whip to do yer biddings, that's all. Many a summer day I spent sippin' corn likker and pink lemonade with a barefooted harlot fanning me whilst I spectatin' the lesser folk fufillin' my obligations to Colonel Sartoris, he of the old stars and bars, bossman of the Chickesaw county.

POTW Week 25

Ryan and I grabbed some time this afternoon and pulled eight lobster pots, yielding 9 keeper lobsters and 2 fairly large crabs.
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We rebaited the traps and if the same production occurs, we should have about 25 of the tasty crustaceans available for the 4th of July celebration cookouts. Remind me to pick up some more butter and Old Bay Spice before then.

ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 25th week of 2009.

Steve Farrar
Michael Murphy
Barbara Walters
Jorge Quiroga
William Nestor
Gail Johnson

It was finally nice on the water with the sunshine breaking through

Farah and Michael

We lost the American cultural icons of Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson today.
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These were people, who had weaknesses and frailties, but made a definitive statement and added richness to our culture.
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Tempus Fugit.

The "P" Words

The morning news is really into the story of the South Carolina Republican governor, Mark Sanford who went AWOL for a hot date in Argentina.
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Sex sells.
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Plus Sanford was a Republican Presidential Maybe, who had the audacity to criticize President Clinton when he diddled Monica Lewinsky.
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So often, those who stray into the swamp of sexual scandal have a history of criticism of others indiscretions.
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I personally believe that unless you are screwing with me or mine, where you point your pecker is not a part of public policy.
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But it's probably proper for policiticians to keep their pee pee in their pants.

Pisco said...

Nice use of alliteration in making your point about public policy, pointing peckers and your peeps.

You Can Bank On It

Getting back into the banking game.
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Mountain of a Man historians will note that I used to deal with the banks all of the time in the 80's before the savings and loan crisis brought everything to a crash. I always felt comfortable with bank talk. Business finance holds a lot less mystery to me than a cellular antenna installation. Although there's really not a heck of a lot of mystery to installing antennas.
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Anyway, I always vowed that if I got on my feet again after the 80's collapse, I would never again leverage business through financing.
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But here we go again.
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Maybe this time, I won't get that "Nothing Can Go Wrong" bullshit attitude that characterized my last go around.
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This time, I'm really sure of what can go wrong. And there's no way I'm going to go through that crap again.

Tuna Lips said...

Ise, too, am wisened for havin' kept my moneys with so called bank & "trusts", only to have the whole thing go south just acause of somethin' I said, or dun, or maybe I exposed my weddin' tackle, and then find the bank & trust feller run off with his wife's cousin, all the while usin' my cash to bankroll a stag film starring the before menshoned cousin, who I comes to find out was with child due to fornicatin' with the boys in her sophomore english class. And that movie was my idea. John Ford was a major influence in my creative uprearin,' as was John Holmes. That banker screwed me.

We discuss such matters, and the unduly influencin' of internationalized bankers on the US of A every now and agin, like minded folk, down the holler, burn us a fire now and again. Real hush hush stuff. Sorta.

Evidence.

So I'm watching that big egotistical blowhard, Terrell Owens, get his ass kicked in the "Superstars" competition on ABC tonight. His female teammate is taunting him.... asking what he gets paid a million dollars as an athlete for.
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Further evidence that there is a God.

Weather for the Week

It's cloudy and rainy. Tried to get out and see if a few of the traps could yield enough lobsters for dinner, but even in the inner harbor the nor'east wind was whipping up whitecaps, and seas reportedly hit six feet on Stellwagen.
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A reprieve for the lobsters.
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Now it looks like we're in for a whole week of this. Which is probably not at bad thing for the grass seed that we put on the dirt patch called our front lawn. But it doesn't bode well for all of the grounding cadwelds that we have to accomplish for Nanepashemet Telecom.
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This is a big week - lots of moving parts in lots of areas - both personal and business. It will be interesting to see what Blog entry goes in next Sunday night.

Tuna Lips said...
One part I hope gets movin' is my bowuls. Criminiy sakes, Ise bound up like a treed pole cat.

Bound for Bait

Despite the threat of rain, tomorrow I have to get out early and catch bait to tend to the lobster traps.
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My plan is to take the WhaleEye straight out to Halfway rock and jig for mackerel and pollack, then head down Bluefish Alley by the ledges to see if some early Bluefish might want to give it up for the traps.
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Tide should be high enough and I should be back by 10:30 AM or so.

POTW Week 24

More rain.
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The wet weather kills our efforts to finish some telecom work, because you can't CADweld safely around moisture, and CADwelding to support the extensive grounding systems at wireless telecom facilities is a daily, essential task.
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There is only so much ditch digging that we can do.

ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 24th Week of 2009

Pat Piscatelli
Bill Hillegas
Chris D'Orio
Kelsey O'Shea
Courtney Cox
Ben Wallace

The rain delays won't kill us, but they are really annoying.

No More Snore

In the spirit of total honesty and open disclosure, I have to admit to you that I snore.
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Really Bad.
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Each and every time I doze off.
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And incredibly loud... like an old moose with a head cold.
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I know that it bugs the shit out of Joanne, but there was nothing I could do about it.... until now.
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Being sensitive to all of Joanne's needs, I decided that it was time after 36 years to take on this snoring problem. Plus it seems to have worsened over the last 2 1/2 years or so.
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So I extensively researched the problem, and after 10 minutes of browsing, I came across a product called "SnoreMeds". Amazon sold it for about $39 bucks.
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This is a plastic mouthpiece that you put into boiling water and then mold it to your mouth, causing the lower jaw to jut about a bit and create an open air passage past the offending palate.
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It's the palate which vibrates when relaxed as you are sleeping, and that is the source of the gutteral snoring noise which Joanne loathes so much, but I don't even hear.
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Tested SnoreMeds on a catnap today for about 1/2 hour and it is the first snorefree slumber that I can remember. So now I will be even better in the bedroom.

Pisco said...

Dude:

It puts a strain on your heart as well. I would not hesitate to mention it to your doctor. You might end up wearing one of those vacuum thingamajigs that make you look like you are ready to shoot down a MIG, but it could save your life. Plus, you can act like you are shooting down MIGs.

Lauren Rathbone, reigning Peep of the Year, said...

My mom has this problem with my dad, she wears industrial ear plugs every night. So much so, that my brother orders her them from some industrial safety catalog he gets at work.

Lauren's Dad must be cool.

Bunker Hill Day

There is a little commotion in Boston today, because it is Bunker Hill Day, and only Boston has it as a holiday. All city and state offices in Boston are closed.
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The crux of the issue is that we have economic problems and can't afford this holiday, or the other Boston only holiday - Evacuation Day.
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If people knew the history behind these days, the hue and cry should be why the whole country doesn't have these days off. Apparently the effects of a foreign occupation and the loss of American lives to throw tyranny off of American soil aren't very important any more.
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Naturally, our Governor, Deval Patrick, has his finger in the wind and is making statements that he and his staff will be working.
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Bunker Hill Day has nothing to do with the present economy and everything to do with remembering who we are and what our forefathers did to create this country for us. We are losing our true identity when we are so callous with our history.
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I think that Deval caught the wrong wind on his finger.

Tuna Bite

Ryan and Mike got up around 4:00AM this morning to test the dawn tuna bite out at Stellwagen with Alex and a couple other guys. Light rain, 56 degrees, 9 mph winds. Can't be comfortable in an open boat like the WhaleEye.
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But if they hook into a Bluefin, it will seem like tropical skies and summer breezes.
____________________________

UPDATE
I told those guys that I didn't think they had enough gas in the WhaleEye to make a Stellwagen run. Apparently, nine miles out, they found that I was correct.
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Pretty happy that I renewed my SeaTow membership.
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One of these days they will find out that.... while I am not always right, I'm seldom wrong.
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Score 1 for the Bluefin.

Out of the Box

Had some drinks after work today with Elsier, Mountain of a Man Bobby Brown, and Peter Howard, an ardent Peep. Course, we had these drinks after a liquid lunch with our major customer. So you would think that I would be a useless slosh hound.
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Not so.
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I paced myself accordingly, knowing that there was business at hand. As it is, at the end of the evening, I ran into two prospects that I had been targeting for some time. They were as surprized to see me as I was them, when we bumped into each other at the Indigo Bar in Newton, just off of the Mass Pike.
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Sometimes you just have to get lucky. I had been trying to contact these two for some time now. Who would have thought that I would meet them both in the same setting!
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The lesson here is obviously to get out and drink in bars more often. The way I left Elsier.... I know he would agree.

POTW Week 23

Found myself doing some surreal stuff this morning.

As Joe Collins often said in our formative undergraduate years at UMASS....
"Life is a Weird Boogie."

ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 23rd week of 2009

Lisa Panakio Rowe
Kevin Ouellette
David Cheney
Tom Raich
Stacey Butler
Tommy O'Shea

No Shit, Joe.

Tuna Lips said...

I hear ya hummin' there, Kemosabe. The other mornin', I wakes in a David Carradine Kung Fu contraption in the storage shed over yonder, havin' not the slightest clue about how I ended up with a rope around my neck, wearin' Dorothy's ruby slippers and mint julep spilled all over my sister Bitty's prom dress. Surreal.

Ornery Remark

Thanks for all the nice compliments on our 36th wedding anniversary.
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I guess it is an accomplishment.... definitely beats the statistics.
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Although..... Joanne gave me some lip because I characterized her as "ornery". Isn't that ironic! Her getting ornery about me calling her ornery!
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I came so close to dumping her over that. She'll be damn lucky to make it to year 37.

Lobstermen Molt

Around 2:30 this afternoon, we took a break from the grindstone and went out to check the lobster traps.
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We've got eight traps baited with mackerel around Salem and Marblehead Harbors. Can't tell you exactly where they are, or I'd have to kill you.
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Of the eight traps, we pulled out six keeper lobsters and about an equal number of shorts. Plus about 5 skates, and numerous fairly large crabs which we didn't keep.
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So not a bad haul for eight traps that were baited only three days ago.
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By 6:00 PM the lobsters were dispatched and beginning to be digested. Two went over to Tommy O and Linda's house.

Wedded Bliss

Today is the 36th wedding anniversary for me and my first wife, Joanne.
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So far, so good, but I still have her on probation, and if she fails to meet my high standards, I'll drop her like a lead balloon.
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Many of you Peeps have asked me the secret to the longevity of our marriage. I wish I knew, because if I did, I'd franchise it and probably make a ton of money. She can be ornery and controlling, but I always counter it with my levelheadedness and sensitivity.
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As it is , I've been offering out my services as a marriage counselor, but so far, no takers.

Lisa P said...

The secret to your marriage is Joanne is a saint. Saint Joanne

Tuna Lips said...

Ise doff my hat to yiz fer keepin' yer floor sweepeer in line fer such a stretch, through all these wimmins liberalizers times and such. Like them no good thievin' Mormon gypsies, I, too, keeps a brood at various locations on my circuit through the belly of this here Obammy Land. More likes a rock star, truth be told. And the more I takes on, the more friends they have that have no knowins' of the power of chloroform and cat tranquilisers. My herd grows thusly, me bein' the good sheep herder and all. I reckon you could hang with me, if I so chose.

F******. Catalina Wine Mixer

More


All three kids are slated to come back to Marblehead today.
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Everytime they link up here, it's like the F**king Catalina Wine Mixer.
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Before things heat up, I'm going to get the Herreshoff Columbia Tender out for a row on Marblehead Harbor around mid morning when the tide is right.
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Maybe a good workout will help me cope.





More

POTW Week 22

My friend Harvey Rowe has developed a blog called "Harvey's Thoughts" which I have started to follow. Generally, it's takes all of my time to keep self centered on my own stuff, but Harvey's Blog is worth a visit.
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The rap on Harvey is that he is a Lawyer and a practicing Catholic.... both of which can promote some pretty warped thinking.... but he manages to pull it off pretty well.
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BTW - I can say that, because I am a cultural Irish Catholic who was traumatized by Nuns and force fed the Baltimore Catechism. Purgatory still scares the shit out of me. Plus I get a big kick out of Lawyer jokes.
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My fervent hope is that a good deal of you will start to bug Harvey on his Blog, and leave me the hell alone for awhile.
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Anyway....
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ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 22nd Week of 2009.

Harvey Rowe
Brendt D'Orio
Rick Hudson
Charlie Sheen
Katelyn Nestor
Sarah Crawford

It's www.hrowe.blogspot.com, Harvey's Thoughts.

Must Do

It's 5 o'clock on a Friday.
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The one thing that I had on my list as a "must do", I didn't do. Everything else I did and more. How does that figure???
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Now the "must do" moves on to the weekend, because I'm going to bag this and settle down with a visit from Sam Adams.
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BTW - I can't get into Twitter, and I'm only on the fringes with Facebook. You would think that a wicked cool dude like myself would rule those fashionable sites, but I kind of like the idea of Blogging better. Actually thinking out whole paragraphs. Although, I do admit that the paragraphs that I think out can be pretty pathetic.
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So have a nice weekend.

Peep Milestones

Lindsay Kepnes got engaged.
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Tina Rhodes had a baby boy, and Mary Endres had a baby boy on the same day.
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Pretty good milestones.
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Life changing, moving on milestones. Feel good milestones.

Well thats it J. I'm having a rough time dealing with this. Lindsay Kepnes is engaged. All my plans are shot.You won this one Lindsay Kepnes's fiance, but you haven't heard the last of me.
- McMahon

Houses of Cards

GM filing for bankruptcy is amazing to me. All of those smart people, strategizing, planning, doing all the things that big corporations do... and it still hits the skids.
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I'm starting to believe that big government and big business are little more than mega-juggernauts with no real way to understand or control their well being.
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During my stint in corporate life, I saw many things happen that made no sense at all, but the consequences of the actions were not faced for months later. By that time the spin doctors had expertly redefined and redetermined the outcomes, and were exhibiting their only real proficiency.... feathering their own nests.
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Hate to sound cynical, but these huge organizations get so complex that many insiders can pick them clean with impunity. The complexity rewards mediocrity, and hides incompetence. A little lie here, a little shaded truth there, and the incompetents save their bloated incomes for years at a time.
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They know that they could never survive in a fair marketplace based upon real achievement, production and service. So they contrive and conspire and plot, and bend the facts in Powerpoint presentations to perpetuate their phoney careers.
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I know that this is harsh, but if I didn't see it with my own eyes, I probably wouldn't believe it either. Sooner or later, the House of Cards comes crashing down, and the poor working stiffs and pensioners on the bottom level bear the ultimate brunt.

Passing Funk

I've been watching these great days of summer pass as I toil away with Nanepashemet Telecom. Just not fishing enough, and no golfing whatsoever. That has got to change.... at least the fishing part.
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I also haven't put the Tender into Marblehead Harbor for any kind of rowing effort.
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Maybe I'm getting too old.
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Nah....
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That can't be it.
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After all... I'm still the same old rough, tough, hard to bluff and damn good looking guy that I always was.
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I guess I'm just in a little funk. It will pass... I'll get over it.

First Harvest

Tomorrow, I plan on getting out on the Mountain Bike early. Hopefully get about 15 miles in. Then maybe attack some paperwork and invoicing so that I'm not bogged down with that when the week hits.
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Apparently, the boys came up with three keeper lobsters from the four traps that we set this week. If that ratio holds when we get our ten trap limit out, we'll be hauling in over a dozen lobsters per week. That's a lot. More than we could find ways to consume.
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Maybe we'll be making lots of Peeps happy this summer with the thoughtful gift of fresh lobster.

Tuna Lips said...

I takes all my best clientellers to Red Lobster. Beats the shorts offa Sizzler, and I aint sayin' that cuz I was barred from that mule shack, neither.

POTW Week 21

The boys got into some mackerel this morning. That should be enough to bait the rest of the lobster traps. In the meantime, I headed up north for some serious kickback in North Conway. Even though I'll probably get some paperwork in, chilling out is at the top of the list.
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However..... I was reminded in a very annoying voicemail from Mountain of a Man, Bobby Brown, that I had neglected to select the POTW this week.
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Man.... is that irritating!!!!
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I didn't freaking forget. Maybe I just didn't get around to it yet.
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Announcing.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 21st week of 2009

Bob Brown
Mike Chandler
Emily UnGardia
Ty Hemmert
Sprague the concrete guy on Block Island
Michael "Murph"Murphy

That will teach Brown a lesson! Mountain of a Man aside, he's got to learn to curb his annoying habits.

Constant Sorrow

POTY Privilege

Apparently former Peep of the Year, Michael "Murph" Murphy, and his lovely wife, Beth, are running with a fast crowd these days.

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So do you think you are pretty cool these days, Murph?

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Have you considered the fact that the only reason that guys like Adam Sandler will take a picture with you is because you are a Former Nanepashemet Peep of the Year????

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That's right.

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Without the POTY designation, these guys wouldn't let you carry their Kleenix, and don't you forget it.
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The truth is that Sandler, Rob Schneider, and Kevin James all wish they were you.... a former Peep of the Year. And they have absolutely no chance.

Piscine Prognostication

We've got all of our fishing tackle organized as hell, and have big plans to tune up all of the loose ends on the WhaleEye.
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Got a call this morning from Patrick Piscatelli telling me of his fishing success down on the Cape this weekend. The piscine aficionado landed some blues and schoolie stripers, and was right at the verge of his enthusiasm transforming into bravado. Not that I can blame him. If I caught Blues and Stripers this early in the season, I'd be bragging my ass off.
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Tomorrow, I'm taking the CEO of a promising wireless startup in the public safety networks sector to lunch at the Boston Yacht Club. I thought I might impress him with the ambiance of Marblehead Harbor, but it appears that he lives on the Monterrey Peninsula in California, which is probably the most spectacular ocean venue that I've yet seen.
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So I'll have to find another way to impress him. Maybe with fishing stories.
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Anyway.... I predict the best fishing season ever this year. Tuna, Stipers, Blues and Lobster. Not necessarily in that order.

First Crack at Crustaceans

Ryan and Mike caught four mackeral off of the Tinker's Island Gong yesterday, so we had no excuse but to get four lobster traps baited up and dropped outside of Salem harbor this morning.
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After fishing for another hour and only coming up with one more mackeral and a monkfish, we headed back to check the traps which had only been in place for less than two hours.
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We found scates, and crabs in three of the four traps. That was an optimistic sign. Probably Wed. this week, we'll check the traps and put out three or four more. By the end of the week, all ten will be in service and we should be crawling in crustraceans.
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The whole effort was salvaged by the beautiful weather, and the beers that Tommy O'Shea so thoughtfully contributed to the effort.
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BTW, with the new fin on the lower unit of the Honda Four Stroke, the WhaleEye seems like a new engine. Planes perfectly, and idles at slow speeds with no issues.
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This could be a hell of a summer.

Unblocked

In case you were wondering, the three tumblers of Newman's Own 100% Grape Juice came through big time last night. And I do mean "came through".

Memorial Day

A beautiful Memorial Day Weekend. I hope you all get to kick back and enjoy the company of your friends and families.
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But don't lose sight of the fact that you won't be speaking German or Russian this weekend. That many have made huge sacrifices so that you could have a peaceful, stable, enjoyable weekend.
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This day always makes me reflect on my father, who was blown off of a ship in the Atlantic and survived during WWII, my grandfather, who was gassed in the trenches in France during WWI and my father-in-law who was a POW to the Chinese in the Korean War.
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Regular people like you and me, who were called to duty and made the sacrifice so that we could have a normal life. And our young people continue to serve so that terrorists who would destroy our way of life don't get the chance to implement their demented plans.
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Freedom isn't free. And some of us have had to pay a stiff price. Give them your recognition and respect this weekend.

Pisc said...

A wonderful reminder to the folks who hold forth on appeasement as peacemaking while sipping a buttery chardonnay with oak high lights and wearing the latest from Ann Taylor and Tommy Hifigger, snacking on canapes. The Barry Crowd, I bet you get a bit of that in MH.

POTW Week 20

So I get a couple hundred emails yesterday from Peeps who didn't appreciate my hourly rendition of my daily grind. They basically said that they didn't care what the hell I did, and should concentrate on cogent, and controversial commentary.
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Well..... Kiss my Royal Irish Ass!!!!!
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This Blog is not for your reading entertainment. It's not designed to make your pathetic day go a little easier. Loosely disguised as a blog about Boatbuilding, it is really all about me. By me, for me, and about me. And I'm not too thrilled that you get to read it anyway.
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Pretty annoying, which gets me to the next step in this juggernaut of a literary institution.
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ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 20th week of 2009.

Ann Swaine, the Weston Permit Lady
Jack Keough
Larry DiGiamarino
Steve Lewis
Perry Dinatale
Emily Angardia

Tomorrow, I think I'll tell you my special technique for cutting your toenails.

Advice to Barach.

This whole Obama emphasis on the "Torture" issue reminds me of Clinton's first issue "Gays in the Military." Both are non issues that I could care less about.
~
It seems that when the Democrats win the big prize, they go through a "Holy Shit, What Do We Do Now" phase. They are good at strirring peoples emotions, at campaigning, but now they have to belly up and lead with some policies.
~
Now Obama chooses to concentrate on the "evil Republican practice of torture." Never mind that fact that when we were under siege by radicals looking to kill anyone who takes a elevator in a major US City.
~
So Peeps.... here's how I weigh in on this.
~
I know that I don't usually show it, but I deeply care for each and every one of you. Even those of you who have relentlessly chosen to act like assholes. At least you are my assholes.
~
So if I ran into some misguided moron hell bent on a plot to kill millions of you by crashing airliners into buildings, or igniting a nuclear blast, or causing an anthrax outbreak, I would have no problem in torturing this motherfucker over and over with every whacko method that I could devise until he gave up the details.
~
That's just the way I am.
~
By the way, the evil Bush administration waterboarded three people in the last eight years. That's THREE! And I understand that the technique was highly effective in eliciting information.

~
How many people died in the Twin Towers???? and the Pentagon???? and herocially bringing down their own airliner headed for the White House????
~
Oh yeah.... well over 4000 noncombatant Americans. Peeps like you.
~
How many more of us would have bought it in Tunnels, in SmallPox epidemics, in Propane Tank explosions, in contaminated water supplies if we didn't pin the ears back on these Fuckers.
~
C'mon Barach. You won the White House. Now Lead!!!! Cut the Bullshit. Your're not a phony idiot like Nancy Pelosi. Get out in front and use your inspirational abilities to get this economy swinging back.... and making sure that these medieval motherfuckers never get the chance to screw with us again.

Ringer on a Racetrack

Today was another up and early day. The Building Inspector at the Town of Brimfield, Jack Keough, is only there for two hours on Friday morning and I had to make the 1 3/4 hour drive out to the Berkshires, leaving at 7:00AM. No problem usually except for the 4:00 AM gig the previous morning.
~
You know me....
~
I don't bitch and I don't complain. Those traits are just not in the repetoire of a Mountain of a Man like me.
~
But my concern is that these irregular starting hours have truly changed the routine that my body has been used to. In other words, I haven't had a solid waste passing in two days. That's right.... constipated..... damn constipated.
~
So by the end of the day today, my last stop was to get to Costco in Danvers and pick up a couple gallons of Newman's Own Grape Juice. This stuff has treated my digestive system like a ringer on a racetrack in the past.
~
After three big tumblers in the last hour..... nothing.
~
I'm starting to get concerned. No Camptown Races yet. Do Dah.

Daily Grind

Started the day meeting my partner at 6:ooAM in Grafton on the MassPike, which is about 1 1/2 hours from Marblehead.
~
So you do the math. Got up at 4:00AM, printed out some stuff, hit the shower and jumped in the truck for the morning ride.
~
By 7:00AM, was sitting at the Charlton Town Hall, waiting for it to open at 7:30 so I could ask for the certificate of occupancy for the two sites that we built in that town. Left the files for the building inspector with the Administrator, Nancy, and went 30 miles further up the road to the Hampden County Registry of Deeds in downtown Springfield.
~
The Registry is on the fourth floor of the superior court building and there were tons of plaintiffs and defendants mulling around when I arrived at 8:30 AM. The security guards made me leave my digital camera with them which I hate because it could dissappear so easily, and I really need a good digital with me at all times.
~
After wading though the chainsmoking malcontents outside, I made it to the elevator and filed a decision of the Brimfield, MA Zoning Board of Appeals for recording. The stamp on the recorded docs would be proof to apply for the Building Permit in Brimfield tomorrow morning when the Building Department will be open to file between 10:00 AM and 11:30 only.
~
After Springfield, I deadheaded to Chelmsford to drop up some lease docs for execution at a Burlington site. Made it by 11:00 AM and was out by 11:15 and was on the road to Weston to file a permit to but an antenna on Regis College.
~
The good folks at the Weston Building Department have a lot of requirements and I found out that I had to get an original structural report from the Engineer in Downtown Boston, needed a signature from the College facilities VP on the Building permit application and needed to record a Zoning Board of Appeals decision at the Middlesex Registry of Deeds.
~
So that shot to hell my chances of filing for that Building Permit today with those three hoops in front of me to jump through. Put in some calls to see if I could get the Regis College signature, and made plans to pick up the structural on Summer St in Boston. I knew that the Middlesex filing would be a pain in the ass. It always is with the parking in Cambridge and the wait at the Registry.
~
Plus I had to deadhead to the Suffolk Registry of Deeds after picking up Katelyn for the passing of her South Boston Condo.
~
Got to Bowdoin St. outside of Katelyn's Beacon Hill office by 12:45PM, picked up Kate and went to park down at the Govt Center Parking garage. The closing went by without a hitch which is a miracle since everything in this deal seemed to be a chore. But Katelyn waded through it all, and I'm really proud of her.
~
After the passing, at 2:15. I was driving with Katelyn to her apartment in Southie and hopeing to grab a beer to celebrate and wind it down. But then I got a call from Regis saying that if I got back there within an hour and a half, I could get the permit signature that I needed. So I dropped Kate off and deadheaded to the College with a permit signature in hand by 3:30PM
~
I was in a debate with myself to see if I should go back to the Weston Building Dept and plead to file without the recorded ZBA decision, but ultimately resolved to go back to Cambridge and file in the Middlesex Registry of Deeds first.
~
Without a quarter in Cambridge, I took a chance at a meter and was in and out of the Registry by 4:00PM with no parking ticket. That was the fastest Middlesex filing in history. Virtually no wait.
~
The gameplan now would be to retreat back to Marblehead and make a run at the Weston Builidng Department tomorrow with all of their docs in place.
~
My GPS said I'd be back home by 4:30, but no freaking way with the Tobin Bridge traffic. Walked into Beverly Ave. at 5:15 pretty damn tired.
~
But it was a good day. and we kicked it pretty good on the Block Island RI project today too.

Tuna Lips said...

I applaud yer runnin' hither and yonder to get stuff done. I am missin' the part about takin' some cash down for all this sweatin'. Be right kind of you to let us knows when you gots the jingle we gots comin' to us, so we can help youse congratulate yerself.

I am all above showin' the love.

Amazing Foggy Mountain Breakdown on Guitar

Shift to Adirondack

Mike's Coffee Table is now living where it was designed for.... in Mike's South Boston Condo in a renovated brick foundry. He says it looks great, and I can't wait to see it.
~
While building his table, I had hoped to get some work done simultaneously on my Workbench project, but that fell by the wayside.
~
Now the demand to build Kate's Adirondack chair looms forth with her condo passing due tomorrow. I want this to be a unique piece with some tenon and mortise joinery that is not common in this type of piece, and have modified my original plans to match a design that I downloaded from SketchUp.
~
The first step will be to make some patterns for reproduction of all of the parts, because I think a lot of the Peeps will want one of these chairs when I get Kate's done. Joanne is already talking about getting two of them.
~
I have a feeling that the Workbench will be back burnered.... and I wanted to get that done before resuming work on the Marblehead Gunning Dory. Conservatively, the Dory probably gets started in mid-summer.

Fair Warning to Fish

The WhaleEye is in the water. I don't ever remember getting my boat launched in May and got caught short when Ryan Marine put it in before Mid-Harbor finished the mooring work.
~
Thankfully, we are on a temporary empty mooring in Salem Harbor while mine is being set up this week.
~
So it's only a matter of time before fish and lobsters start to die.

Foggy Mountain Breakdown

How to play the banjo

Countertop Threat.

Now they are trying to sell me on the idea that my granite countertops can kill me. Researchers say that they emit radon and radiation.
~
Let 'em try. I'm not scared of a damn countertop.
~
Sooner or later, the researchers will come to the realization that we are not going to get out of this life alive.

Tommy McMahon said.....
Researchers are now finding that doing research causes cancer. Who knew.

Jay B Goode

Even some of my closest friends will be surprised when they learn that I'm an accomplished guitarist.
~
Well, maybe not accomplished.... but I do know how to strum G and C chords.
~
And I can play "Stairway to Heaven".
~
But I haven't had a guitar in more than 20 years.
~
Lately though, grandson Will seems to be interested in music, so I thought I'd get back into the music world and toughen up my finger tips.
~
Bought a cool Alvarez RD20SC Cutaway Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar, Top Solid Spruce, Back and Side Mahogany from Amazon. It has a pickup for an amp and a built in electronic tuner.
~
Will and I will be banging out "Johnny B Goode" riffs in no time.

Health Benefits

There is nothing like a power nap in the late afternoon. About 30 minutes of sleep can completely revitalize you to plow through the rest of stuff that you have on your agenda that day.
~
But a lot of times, a nap is not appropriate.
~
First... it is socially unacceptable in a corporate work place. Anybody caught dozing, like President Reagan years ago, is thought to be incompetent for some reason. Of course this is complete Bullshit, but I'm not going to get revved up about this.
~
Second..... there is really no place that you can safely grab a power nap during the business day.
~
Third.... since I'm on the road alot, a nap can be downright dangerous.
~
Fourth.... there's only three things I can think of right now.
~
So when I get really drowsy, especially driving hundreds of miles, I usually bang down a can of Red Bull energy drink.
~
Katelyn and Ryan are all over my case about this. They say that Red Bull is bad for you. But my extensive research during 10 minutes of Internet browsing reveals that there is no obvious health risk. And it really perks me up.
~
I figure the health risk of falling asleep during a 65 mph drive is a lot worse than ingesting a can of Red Bull from time to time.

WordSmith

Does Pelosi seem transparent to you? How does a partisan rock thrower like her end up as the Speaker of the House?
~
A selective memory... blames everything on the evil Bush administration... now she is tap dancing around this water boarding bullshit.
~
If I was a member of a group that flew planes into the NY Trade Towers and killed 4000 Americans, I'd welcome a little splash in the face compared to what I really deserve.
~
Pelosi knew about the waterboarding. She is revealing her true nature with her wordsmithing denials.

Harvey Rowe said...

Right on!!!

Tuna Lips said...

Politickin' asides, I'd like to take baste miss nancy with my love honey, helps to relaxify this overwrought wench.

11:49 AM

Definition

Uncle Sam's Advice

Einstein's :Lament

We Know

You know that we know what you know.
~
Do you know what I mean?
~
And doesn't it piss you off that you know that we know?
~
Don't worry. Even though we know, we won't act like we know.
~
But we won't act like we don't know either.

Lobster Permit

Got my Massachusetts non-commercial lobster permit tonight. Stay away from the blue-green-purply buoys. Those lobsters will be giving it up for the Peeps all summer.
~
I plan to use my lobsters judiciously. Won't be giving them away to customers to curry favors. That would be downright unethical. I'm sure that the customers don't like lobsters anyway.

POTW Week 19

Heading into Friday.
~
But not until I get an ungodly amount of paperwork done tonight to beat a deadline for my largest customer. Like I always said to my staff at General Dynamics..... the job isn't done until the database is updated.
~
Although I never appreciated what a pain in the ass that could be until now.

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 19th Week of 2009

Brian Butler
Will Smith
Whitney Watts
Bill Shanahan
Glen Davis
Kelly Light

Come to think of it, a lot of the stuff that I used to preach when I was on the top of the heap have come back to bite me now that I am a humble contractor. It's hard being a responsible businessman.

Island in Rhode Island

Man, did this week get away from me!
~
Monday and Tuesday I crammed paperwork in because I knew that I would have a long day on the Coast Guard project in Block Island on Wed. So up at 4:00 Wed. morning, I headed to Seekonk to pick up some ground rods then deadheaded to the Block Island Ferry at Point Judith, RI.
~
Naturally, Murphy's Law was in effect on the Block Island site, and we didn't pour concrete until 3:30PM.
~
Nobody told me that you couldn't drive onto the 5:15PM ferry to Point Judith at 4:49PM. When the ticket lady said I was too late, I sort of didn't give a shit. I was too tired to bitch at her, and I felt that I was in the wrong anyway.
~
My only real issue was that I was dirty and sweaty and needed a change of clothes. (Note to Self... in the future.... always stash a spare pair of scivvies in your briefcase for occasions like this.)
~
So I found a hotel room on the Island at a good rate, bought a clean t-shirt at the hotel shop, showered, and had beers and dinner with the Watts boys who were staying overnight to finish tooling the slab pours. It was an enjoyable evening and I awoke at 4:30 AM to a rooster annoucing the pre-dawn. Couldn't sleep, so I got up at 5:00 to cruise around the Island in my F-150 at dawn.
~
Block Island is really stunning. People are friendly, and there are some spectacular waterside homes. I hear that the fishing is great and was encouraged to see a keeper Striped Bass chasing some baitfish at the Ferry Pier in Point Judith.
~
Hope those bass are swimming this way.

Real Wealth

Such a highly eventful, fun weekend, filled with fun Peeps.
~
Among the notables....
~
Jim and Kathy Peabody at the Boston Yacht Club, where we ran into "My Friend Who Doesn't Want His Name Mentioned in the Blog, along with his lovely wife Nancy....
~
All of the forementioned Peeps at the Butler Surprize Extravaganza for Stacey....
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Steve Lewis, who along with Mike, is about to take the White Soul Food Catering Market by storm with his slow smoked ribs, pulled pork and macaroni and cheese....
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Auntie Susan Raich, who came through big time for Katelyn this week....
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My old friend Harvey Rowe, who was in the middle of a 13 mile run with his jogging buddy whose name I forgot but will remember.
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Grandkids Ethan and Will, who are undoubtably the best grandkids in the world....
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Emily Inguardia, possibly the nicest Peep east of the Pecos.....
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Bam and Bampy, Ryan, Katelyn, and Michael.
~
It was the kind of weekend that money can't buy. A true definition of real wealth. It will be a hard weekend to match this summer.... but we will give it a try.... each and every time.

Party Review

It was a nice surprise birthday party hosted yesterday afternoon by SuperPeep Brian Butler for his SuperPeep Spouse, Stacey.
~
Lots of former POTW's there including Jill Phillips, POTY Lauren Rathbone with Ethan and Becket, Tina Rhodes and Emily Azgardia.
~
Jack Dog had a little bit of distress going on as he mingled among the guests, but that doesn't have to be mentioned.
~
I think the highlight of the party was when Brian made me a highly creditable Dark and Stormy.... and then one more.
~
Dark and Stormies are like Lay's Potato Chips. Nobody can have just one. Brian planned accordingly.
~
The lowpoint of the party was definitely when Brian asked if he could be Peep of the Week for this fine effort. A major faux pas. It's an unalterable rule that you can never ask for this honor/disgrace.

Active Weekend

It's the weekend already.
~
Mike and Kate are in from Boston, and Ryan and the Grandkids will be around tomorrow, so this place will be really active. Plus when they all show, lots of you Peeps tend to make an appearance over here.
~
Any chance of peace and quiet is out the window.
~
Who needs peace and quiet anyway??? You can have plenty of that when you're dead, and you're dead for a long time.

POTW Week 18

Every once in a while, someone decides to muster up the courage to take a shot at me on this blog.
~
That's alright.
~
If you are an asshole, and you like me, then that would make me an asshole like you. Course, sometimes I do act like a bona-fide asshole. But I still don't want you to like me when I act like you .... you asshole.
~
Which makes this start to sound like a Zen Haiku.
~
Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for Week 18 of 2009.

Peter Caruso
Kevin Gallegher
Sean Booth
Jennifer Geraci
Ellen Forgione
Maria Shriver

So you are really an asshole if you think that everytime this Blog mentions an asshole, it refers to you. But you already know if you are an asshole. You asshole.

Tuna Lips said...
Yer anger keeps me warm, like watchin' pappy pistol whip a no good poacher, poachin' on his poachin' ground.

Manny Being Banny

Manny Ramirez is banned for 50 games this year... it will cost him over $7M... for using a banned substance.
~
I know it is wrong and cheating and everything.
~
That's easy for me to say.
~
I've got the God given ability to eke out a living, but I don't have a rare talent that allows me to make millions of dollars playing a game.
~
If Manny wasn't a professional baseball player, he would probably be driving a bus in the Bronx or something similar.
~
His options are the bus or baseball. The temptation to secure even a little advantage in advancing his million dollar career must be overwhelming.
~
I can't say for sure how I would act in the same circumstance.

Class and Manners

Hey Clubber....
~
Isn't it the case that the people who try so hard to maintain a prim and proper image ultimately have the least amount of class and very poor manners?
~
You have spent so much effort trying to control the behavior of others, that you completely lose sight of the fact that you are so damn self-centered and crass.
~
What an Asshole.
~
You're such an Asshole that you immediately assume I'm talking about you. You Asshole. I guess that's crass to call you that, but you're an Asshole anyway. Asshole.

Channel Changing

Huge night for Boston fans.
~
The Bruins play Carolina and the Celtics take on Tampa with playoff games and the Sox are playing the Yankees.
~
There will be a lot of action with the remotes.
~
I'll probably have to see the results on the news tomorrow morning because today was a long day in Southern Connecticut, and I have a bunch of stuff to get done in the morning before a lunch appointment in Westborough and a preconstruction walk in Concord after that.
~
Sure, I know my life is exciting.... but it doesn't make me any better than you pathetic wannabees. It just seems that way.

Talking Trash to Tuna

Think you're all that???
~
You Big, Freaking, Arrogant Tuna!!!
~
You're Going DOWN.

Tuna Lips said...

Well choke my chicken, I hope yer not fixin' on findin a fued with ole TL. I once carried the water bottles for the local football club. You best not go there.

Sunday Setting

With the good weather this Sunday, it's time to get the Herreshoff Columbia Tender ready for the season. This year, I resolve to row that sucker at least a couple of times a week.
~
Getting the Tender ready will entail removal of the Piantedosi sliding sculling seat, power washing the interior, sanding the worn spots and hitting the whole boat with a couple coats of Epifanes Marine Varnish. While I'm at it, I'll sand the Shaw and Tenney inspired oars that I made a couple of years ago, and hit them with a couple coats of varnish.
~
After that, its a 220 sanding on Mike's coffee table, then the second coat of Epifanes.
~
Plus I promised Joanne that I would cut the doors to her bedroom closet so that they can open and close freely.
~
Hope I have time for the doors.

Peep Preference

Apparently Emily Ungardia is pissed at me because I keep spelling her name wrong.
~
Sorry Em.
~
At least Emily has the cujones to call me out when she is annoyed. The rest of you Pathetic Peeps just seem to seethe in silence.... keeping your emotions in check. Not necessarily the most healthy alternative.
~
Then when you finally blow, it's like a big freaking eruption.
~
Em's approach is more well rounded. That's why Emily Ongardia is one of my favorite Peeps.

First Coat

We got the sanding done, fixed the top to the base, and sprayed an initial coat of Epifanes Marine Varnish.
~
There are some flaws that trouble me, but nothing that an unsophiscated Peep like you could notice.
~
Six more coats and we'll be transporting it to Mike's South Boston Condo.

Magic Feeling

This weekend is shaping up nicely.
~
No particular plans.
~
No particular obligations.
~
No particular crisis.
~
"Oh that magic feeling. No place to go" - the Beatles.

Beatles are probably not in vogue. But I carry a lot of their quotes in my head. They were great innovators for their time, excellent musicians and poets, and worked very hard trying to find meaning in a world that was in extreme transition.
~
Sorry.
~
I didn't mean to veer off like that. But that's what happens when the immediate future is wide open.
~
Back to the weekend.
~
Have to get a workout in on the Cybex, finish sanding Mike's coffee table, and get the first two coats of marine varnish. We also have to attend a wake and funeral. Maybe that is an obligation..... so I guess I spoke too early. The magic feeling is fading.

Peep of the Week - 17

So the PC Police have changed the name of the Swine Flu - ostensibly to save the lives of innocent pigs who were being slaughtered in third world countries.
~
No word lately from Mexico. Now that a few Americans, who went South of the Border, have the sniffles, there is no attention at all given to that hot bed of influenza. If the flu was so catchy, they should be running out of body bags in Baja California. But no word.
~
I personally think that the pandemic is a bust. And Joe Biden, telling people not to ride the subways, is quite the leader to be a spokesman for this crisis. Is he an idiot, or is it just me????
~
That was a high soft one, by the way.....
~
Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 17th Week of 2009

Jenny McCarthy
Jill Phillips
Emily Angardia
Paul Pierce
Eric Johnson
Jay Severin

So stock up on the Purell and don't be spreading your Swine viruses my way.